Student Electives

Michigan State University Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology Clerkship in Neurology

Duration1 month
Distribution of student’s timeOutpatient rotations can be arranged at request
DescriptionEach monthly rotation is spent in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings allowing for exposure to a broad spectrum of acute and chronic neurological diseases. During the inpatient section, students admit patients to the Stroke Unit and are responsible for presentation and daily management of the patient, or evaluation and following of patients on the consultation service. Working closely with neurology residents is expected. Teaching rounds are held daily. In outpatient clinic, students have 1:1 teaching ratio in specialty clinics, including ALS, movement disorders, stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, headache, general, and behavioral neurology. Evaluations are completed by faculties who have worked with the student.

Information about objectives for the rotation, reading material (recent journal articles), websites, review Neurology content from Year 2 courses, and a pretest to be taken early in the clerkship are available in the D2L course 'Neurology Rotation' accessible from the D2L login site https://d2l.msu.edu/d2l/loginh/. You must have a username and password to log into the D2L site. Then select the ‘Neurology Rotation’ course; then click on ‘Content’ to see the options. Krista Leiter will assist students enrolled in the elective with authorization to access this site.

UMH-Sparrow Visiting Student Elective Scholarship Program

UMH-Sparrow Hospital's residency programs are dedicated to training future physicians.  We recognize the value of supporting students and ensuring they have access to enriching educational experiences.  

To encourage broader participation in medicine and enrich our applicant pool, UMH-Sparrow Hospital and the Office of Graduate Medical Education are proud to offer individual $1,000 (4-week rotation) and $500 (2-week rotation) scholarships for medical students.  These scholarships can be applied to costs such as travel, housing and meals during the elective rotation.  Scholarships are awarded upon successful completion of the rotation, following submission of appropriate documentation of expenses.  

Elective Details:

  • Clinical experience in the area of interest
  • Resident-led educational events
  • Student-focused learning sessions
  • Individual mentoring from faculty and residents

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Applicants must be in their 3rd year of medical school and applying for 4th-year electives.  
  • Students must be in good academic standing at an LCME accredited U.S. Medical School or COCA accredited U.S. Osteopathic Medical School
  • Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents
  • Students must reside at least 60 miles from Lansing, Michigan
  • Students must plan on applying to a residency program at UMH-Sparrow (Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Urology)
  • Students must meet at least one of the following criteria:  
    • High level of financial need
    • First-generation college student (neither parent received a baccalaureate degree) OR students who contribute to the intellectual and cultural enrichment of the program through their life experiences, such as overcoming personal adversity of family hardship, extensive community service, or successful careers in other fields.  
    • Significant barriers to achieving higher education, including experience in the foster care system, living in a single- parent household, having an incarcerated parent, or responsibilities for providing financial support or primary care for other household members.  

Application Process:

  • Submit a visiting rotation application through VSAS/VSLO with all institutional requirements completed.
  • Email the following to medicaleducation@UMHsparrow.org with the subject line "University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Visiting Student Elective Scholarship Program"
    • A Letter of Interest (max 400 words) describing your background (including why you meet the criteria), specialty interest, and career goals.
    • A current CV
    • Completed application

Applicants will receive a confirmation email upon submission.  The deadline for scholarship applications is mid-June.  Scholarships will be awarded for medical student rotations between July-December 2026. 

Scholarship decisions will be made by the end of June, with notifications sent via email.  Recipients will be selected by the UMH-Sparrow Graduate Medical Education Committee, consisting of residents and faculty.  

We appreciate your interest in UMH-Sparrow Hospital and look forward to hearing from you.